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Arguments for and Against a Flat Tax

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  • Arguments for and Against a Flat Tax

    CP and I were talking and the issue of a flat tax arose. He recommended I start a new thread to has out the flat tax idea - so here it is.

    I tend to think of myself as a fiscal conservative. I don't have any objection to spending money on programs that align with my social liberalism, so some people might object to me calling myself a fiscal conservative. What I mean when I say that is that I believe governments should fiscally operate on two principles:

    1) The budget should ALWAYS be balanced (spend what you take in and no more). That includes a path to paying off any debt. I understand the need, sometimes, to incur debt. But it should be carefully time-bounded and amount-limited

    2) Taxes should be simple and applied using the same rule for all people.


    That is why the flat tax I advocate has:

    1) Only one standard deduction based on the cost-of-living for 1 (for an individual return) or 2, 3, or 4 people (for a family.group return).

    2) All income above that deduction is taxed at the same rate for everyone, which is set annually to correspond to the revenue required for the projected spending for that year plus/minus any loss/gain from the previous year, minus projected income from any/all other revenue sources (e.g., fees, tariffs, etc.).

    3) No business taxes for any business

    No other deductions (mortgage, charity, business, etc.).


    Discuss!
    The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy...returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Martin Luther King

    I would unite with anybody to do right and with nobody to do wrong. Frederick Douglas

  • #2


    I'll spool up on this shortly - Jake wants to play first.
    The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

    Comment


    • #3
      I prefer the Fair Tax myself.

      I'm always still in trouble again

      "You're by far the worst poster on TWeb" and "TWeb's biggest liar" --starlight (the guy who says Stalin was a right-winger)
      "Overall I would rate the withdrawal from Afghanistan as by far the best thing Biden's done" --Starlight
      "Of course, human life begins at fertilization that’s not the argument." --Tassman

      Comment


      • #4
        How about no deductions, and everybody pays the same percentage regardless of income, the money being distributed equitably to local, state, and federal governments.

        10% sounds about right to me.
        Last edited by Mountain Man; 11-12-2018, 01:57 PM.
        Some may call me foolish, and some may call me odd
        But I'd rather be a fool in the eyes of man
        Than a fool in the eyes of God


        From "Fools Gold" by Petra

        Comment


        • #5
          Originally posted by Mountain Man View Post
          10% sounds about right to me.
          It's good enough for God!
          The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by carpedm9587 View Post
            C
            That is why the flat tax I advocate has:

            1) Only one standard deduction based on the cost-of-living for 1 (for an individual return) or 2, 3, or 4 people (for a family.group return).

            2) All income above that deduction is taxed at the same rate for everyone, which is set annually to correspond to the revenue required for the projected spending for that year plus/minus any loss/gain from the previous year, minus projected income from any/all other revenue sources (e.g., fees, tariffs, etc.).

            3) No business taxes for any business

            No other deductions (mortgage, charity, business, etc.).


            Discuss!
            No bad for a lefty...
            Atheism is the cult of death, the death of hope. The universe is doomed, you are doomed, the only thing that remains is to await your execution...

            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jbnueb2OI4o&t=3s

            Comment


            • #7
              I like the kind where I pay the least in tax and maximize my income and have it still be that awesome when I change tax brackets.

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by rogue06 View Post
                I prefer the Fair Tax myself.
                The word "fair" always puts my teeth on edge. Usually it is a) nothing of the sort, and b) the whine of an emotionally stunted individual.

                So what exactly is the "Fair Tax?"
                The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy...returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Martin Luther King

                I would unite with anybody to do right and with nobody to do wrong. Frederick Douglas

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by carpedm9587 View Post
                  The word "fair" always puts my teeth on edge. Usually it is a) nothing of the sort, and b) the whine of an emotionally stunted individual.

                  So what exactly is the "Fair Tax?"
                  You can check it out here...

                  The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Taxes are not flat. They are round. NASA has proven it.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Originally posted by carpedm9587 View Post
                      The word "fair" always puts my teeth on edge. Usually it is a) nothing of the sort, and b) the whine of an emotionally stunted individual.
                      a9pbxb6_700b.jpg
                      Some may call me foolish, and some may call me odd
                      But I'd rather be a fool in the eyes of man
                      Than a fool in the eyes of God


                      From "Fools Gold" by Petra

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Originally posted by nico View Post
                        I like the kind where I pay the least in tax and maximize my income and have it still be that awesome when I change tax brackets.
                        Jesus said give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, but I'll confess, there are times I wish Caesar didn't ask for so dang much!
                        Some may call me foolish, and some may call me odd
                        But I'd rather be a fool in the eyes of man
                        Than a fool in the eyes of God


                        From "Fools Gold" by Petra

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          I prefer the current constitution which prohibits any tax on the common American worker. If an amendment is created to add a direct tax for the common worker, the constitution would have to strike out the prohibition against Congress doing a direct tax unapportioned by population of the states. If the apportionment is removed, then the logic for having the house of Representatives proportioned by state population would be mutilated.

                          Also, such a removal of this restriction would raise eyebrows as to the lack of legal basis for the IRS collection of such un-apportioned tax since the 30s.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Originally posted by Mountain Man View Post
                            How about no deductions, and everybody pays the same percentage regardless of income, the money being distributed equitably to local, state, and federal governments.

                            10% sounds about right to me.
                            In a nutshell - no. 10% paid by someone who cannot even feed/house/clothe themselves and their family because they are stuck in a minimum wage job is simply not the same as 10% paid by a Bill Gates or Warren Buffet. For the later, 10% is "gravy." For the former, it is potentially the difference between living and not living. This is why the same standard deduction for everyone. It makes the basic $ needed for everyday living "tax protected" for everyone, and taxes everything else the same - regardless of source. It creates a progressive tax without defining different tax classes and arbitrarily differentiating.

                            So something like $30K for an individual, $45 K for two people, $60K for 3, and $75K for four. It can also be adjusted to be sensitive to local cost-of-living differences (e.g., the cost of living in San Francisco is different from the cost of living in New Hampshire).

                            The cap at 4 is also adjustable to the current "replacement rate" for the country. It encourages enough procreation to keep the country healthy, and does not limit anyone to a particular number of children (e.g., the China model). On the other hand, if a family wants 10 children, it also does not make me responsible for picking up their tax burden because they choose to breed like bunnies.
                            The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy...returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Martin Luther King

                            I would unite with anybody to do right and with nobody to do wrong. Frederick Douglas

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Originally posted by seer View Post
                              No bad for a lefty...
                              Yeah...
                              The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy...returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Martin Luther King

                              I would unite with anybody to do right and with nobody to do wrong. Frederick Douglas

                              Comment

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